Chapter 2
"Once we exit the senkaimon and arrive in the world of the living, we will head to Ichigo Kurosaki's home and listen to the information they have about the incident" Toshiro Hitsugaya informed from the front, not looking back at the rest of the group. "Once we have the full details we will split up into groups and search around Karakura for any information that we can gather."
"You mean we won't have time to go shopping?!" Rangiku asked in shock from behind Toshiro.
"Don't you understand the severity of the situation if what the Espada said is true!?" Toshiro replied angrily. "We don't have time for such trivial things such as shopping."
"All you had to say was no" Rangiku muttered.
"Well maybe when we are searching for information, it might lead us to a shopping village and it's not like we can refuse to go if the information leads us there" Yumichika said optimistically.
"Oh yes!" Rangiku squealed enthusiastically. "After all, orders are orders!"
"Did I really expect anything else from these fools" Toshiro muttered under his breath angrily.
"I still don't understand the big deal about buying clothes" Ikkaku said to Renji.
"Everyone is different I guess" Renji said with a shrug. "If it makes them happy then I guess it doesn't really matter. It's like how Shuhei loves music. I don't understand it but it makes him happy. Right Shuhei?"
"Hmm what?" Shuhei replied in confusion. He wasn't paying attention to what everyone else was talking about. Instead he was caught up in his own thoughts as he followed the group from behind. He still didn't understand why he was sent on this mission along with the others. Even though he said before that he wanted to get back to normal with everyone, right now he just wanted to be left alone. During the walk through the senkaimon, he decided it was best for him to keep his distance from the others. He didn't want to be here and he didn't feel like socialising. 'The sooner this mission is over the better' Shuhei thought.
"I was just saying that different things make different people happy like how music makes you happy" Renji said with a worried smile.
"Yeah I guess so" Shuhei replied monotonously. 'Why the fuck did I have to open up to Renji? I am so stupid'. Renji signalled for Ikkaku to keep moving forward while he stopped to wait for Shuhei to catch up to them.
"How are you holding up?" Renji asked, worriedly.
"Fine" Shuhei replied with no emotion as he continued to walk, not making eye contact with Renji.
"Well that's obviously a lie. C'mon cheer up. Just think of this mission as some time to clear your head and to catch up with your friends. It's going to do you some good" Renji said with a warm smile.
"This mission is too important to be slacking off. We need to find out if what the Espada said is true and then we can report back to the Captain General. Hopefully we finish this quick" Shuhei said in annoyance.
"God, you are starting to sound like Hitsugaya" Renji said with a laugh. "C'mon, what about what we talked about before?"
"Just forget what we talked about before" Shuhei said as he stopped walking to turn around and look at Renji. "It's best if I just keep to myself. I am not dragging you or anyone else into my problems. So I'd appreciate it if you would just leave me alone to deal with it by myself."
"You know I am not going to let that happen, Shuhei" Renji said seriously. "You are my friend and whether you like or not, I am not going to let you go through this alone."
"I don't need your help, Renji!"
"Well too bad because you are going to get it!"
Shuhei could feel his anger rising to extreme highs. He never knew a person could get under his skin and annoy him as much as Renji could. It is was a miracle that Shuhei didn't lash out and attack Renji but if Renji kept at it, it would be a very high possibility of it happening.
"Renji, I swear to god if you do not back off I'll…"
"You'll do what?" Renji said daringly. "I am going to be there for you and help you. Simple as that. End of discussion."
Shuhei clenched his fists at his sides and tried to take some deep breaths. 'This persistent idiot is going to be the death of me' Shuhei thought to himself.
"Guys would you hurry it up back there" Ikkaku yelled from somewhere ahead of them. At which point that they had lost sight of the rest of them, Shuhei wouldn't have a clue.
"Yeah, we have already reached the end!" Rangiku yelled excitedly. No doubt that she was thinking of where to shop first.
Renji put his hand on Shuhei's shoulder and gave him a sad smile and then continued to walk on ahead.
"Why couldn't they have picked someone else for this mission?" Shuhei muttered to himself.
…
"There is no time for sleeping, Ichigo" Rukia said as she hurled a cushion at him and sat down on the opposite couch. "The others will be here any minute now."
"I wasn't sleeping, I was just resting a bit" Ichigo said as he pulled himself up into a sitting position on the couch. Ichigo didn't feel up to dealing with anyone from the Soul Society at the moment. He was drained physically and emotionally. He didn't get any sleep last night and instead of sleeping he was up thinking about Grimmjow had said about how everyone he loves was going to be reduced to nothing. 'Jokes on you Grimmjow, most of the people I care about are either dead, gone or afraid of me' Ichigo thought sadly. Ichigo could already tell that today was going to be horrible and was not going to be an easy one. "Who from the Soul Society are being sent here?"
"Jesus Christ, Ichigo! I already told you. Captain Hitsugaya followed by Rangiku, Renji, Yumichika, Ikkaku and Shuhei" Rukia replied in annoyance. "Do you ever listen to me!?"
"Sorry, I am just really out of it" Ichigo said apologetically. "Wait, did you say Shuhei?"
"Yeah I did" Rukia answered suspiciously.
"Well that is kind of weird."
"What's weird about the Soul Society sending Shuhei?"
"Haven't you noticed that for some reason the Soul Society always seems to send the same Soul Reapers? So them sending Shuhei seems a bit strange" Ichigo said, deep in thought.
Rukia sat there for a moment, trying to figure out how to respond to what Ichigo had said. She couldn't think of an explanation though, so she just sat there with a puzzled look on her face. "What the hell?" she muttered to herself after a minute of sitting there in silence.
"Well I guess it doesn't matter anyway" Ichigo said with a tired sigh. "Do you reckon you could do all the explaining when they come? I don't really feel like dealing with others at the moment."
"That will not be possible. You were there when it happened so it has to come from you" Rukia said sternly.
"I thought as much" Ichigo replied solemnly. "I thought I would ask anyway."
"Ichigo, is everything okay?" Rukia asked, her expression softening. "I know you have lost a lot but you shouldn't keep your emotions pent up. The end result will not be pleasant."
"I know that, Rukia" Ichigo said irritably. "I am not the kind of guy to share that kind of shit."
"I know you're not" Rukia said sympathetically. "That is why I am not going to push it. If you want to talk I will be here for you. Just consider what I said."
"Thanks Rukia" Ichigo said with a slight smile. "I'll keep that in mind." Ichigo did want to talk but for some reason he just couldn't. He couldn't even think straight most of the time. He just couldn't find it within himself to talk about what he is has been through. Even though Rukia was his best friend and has stuck by him through thick and thin, he couldn't bring himself to open up to her which made him realise that he probably couldn't open up to anyone. Ichigo's mind was full of regret. Some of the things he had done during the war were unforgivable. He was responsible for his friend's deaths and it was too much to live with. He had to live with blood on his hands. Innocent people's blood. His friend's blood. No one understood that.
"Can I ask you a question?" Rukia asked, unsure of herself. "It might sound weird."
"Yeah sure, go ahead" Ichigo said as leaned back into the couch.
"Well, have you heard from-"
"We're here!" Renji yelled as he barged through the front door, making both Ichigo and Rukia jump out of their seats.
"Fucking hell, Renji" Ichigo yelled, his heart pounding against his chest. "Have you ever fucking heard of knocking!?"
"Well it's good to see you too" Renji said with a smile as he walked over and sat on the couch next to Rukia. "Ow!" Renji yelped as Rukia elbowed him in the ribs. "What was that for!?"
"For scaring the hell out of me!" Rukia growled.
"I told you to knock" Toshiro said irritably while walking through the front door.
"Ichigo!" Rangiku squealed in delight as she pushed past Toshiro towards Ichigo and wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace. "I've missed you!"
"I'm pretty sure you are suffocating him" Ikkaku said as he walked in, followed by Yumichika who was laughing and then by Shuhei who was just looking around with a miserable expression on his face.
"Oh sorry, Ichigo" Rangiku said as she pulled back. Ichigo just smiled awkwardly and nodded.
The next five minutes was full of chatter and a quick catch up. Ichigo forced a smile on his face and nodded to everything that everyone was saying. Don't get it wrong, Ichigo was almost happy to see everyone but these days he could only handle everyone in small doses. So he just sat there listening to everyone talk and laugh. Ichigo was trying not to groan out in frustration so he keep moving his gaze elsewhere.
That's when he noticed Shuhei standing in the corner with a miserable look on his face. It looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here. 'He could at least pretend to be interested' Ichigo thought to himself. It then occurred to Ichigo that he knew nothing about Shuhei. Being miserable might just be his personality. 'Wait, he's the guy that was lieutenant to Kaname and now he is lieutenant to Kensei' Ichigo thought. 'He looks just as miserable as Kensei, makes sense.' Ichigo then realised the tattoo on Shuhei's face and almost let out a laugh. He was now staring at the tattoo on Shuhei's face, wondering where he had seen it before. 'Oh that's right, Kensei's tattoo. He must love Kensei to have that tattooed on his face' Ichigo thought to himself in amusement.
Ichigo looked over to Renji who was giving Shuhei worried looks and noticed that Shuhei was glaring right back at him. 'Oh, so he is a bit of an asshole like Kensei too' Ichigo thought. Ichigo's attention was then pulled in by the scars that were on the other side of Shuhei's face. Ichigo just stared at them in curiosity. 'No wonder he seems like a miserable asshole' Ichigo thought.
Ichigo didn't even realise that Shuhei had turned his attention towards him until it was too late. A feeling of embarrassment washed over him as he realised that he was caught staring. Shuhei raised an eyebrow at him but still had an angry look in his eyes. Ichigo opened his mouth to say something but turned his gaze away instead. 'God, I would hate to be stuck alone with that guy' Ichigo thought to himself, still feeling embarrassed. Ichigo could still feel the gaze of Shuhei drilling into the back of his head. He tried to act natural and to force himself not to look back at Shuhei. Ichigo had no felt this awkward in a very long time.
"Okay, enough of the idle chit chat. We need to discuss the events of last night involving the Espada" Toshiro announced. Ichigo was actually relieved for Toshiro's interruption. The feeling of Shuhei's gaze was slipping away and Ichigo was thankful. "Ichigo would you please share the information you have?"
"Yeah okay" Ichigo said while getting off the couch to stand up. "Grimmjow has been coming to me for the last two months to settle a score he has with me and each time it has been the same outcome. We fight, I win and then he goes back to wherever he came from" Ichigo explained. He noticed that everyone was looking at him with a serious expression and were actually silent for once. It was a weird but welcomed experience. "Last night though, after I won, he said some pretty screwed up things such as everyone and everything I love will be reduced to nothingness, that "they" have plans for me and that also a new war is coming and there is nothing I can do to stop it" Ichigo said with a tired sigh. The amount of times Ichigo had to repeat this was starting to really get on his nerves. He looked around at everyone and they all looked to be deep in thought besides Shuhei, who just looked at him with empty eyes. Ichigo looked away immediately. Something about Shuhei screamed 'dead inside' and it freaked Ichigo out. 'He creeps me out' Ichigo thought.
"So do you think that the Espada wasn't working alone?" Ikkaku asked.
"It seems that way" Ichigo replied. "Also I get the feeling that he was holding back every time we fought. It was like he wasn't trying."
"What is the location of the last spot you fought at?" Toshiro asked with a serious expression.
"The western outskirts of Karakura Town" Ichigo said. "We fought there most of the time."
"Okay, here is what we are going to do" Toshiro said after a moment of thinking. "We will split up into pairs and we will try to gather as much information as possible. Matsumoto you will come with me to Orihime Inoue's house to see if she knows anything."
"Yes Captain" Rangiku replied with a nod.
"Excuse me Captain Hitsugaya" Rukia said with slight worry.
"What is it?"
"Orihime isn't the same as she was so please don't startle her and don't be forceful. She has been through a lot" Rukia said with a certain sadness in her voice.
Ichigo's heart sank at the mention of Orihime. He would never forget the fear that was in her eyes whenever she looked at him. It was all Ichigo's fault. Shuhei noticed the look of sadness on Ichigo's face and raised an eyebrow. Shuhei made eye contact with Renji and signalled toward Ichigo which made Renji look over to Ichigo in confusion and then realised what was going on.
"Okay! What about the rest of us?" Renji said quickly, trying to change the subject as fast as he could. Ichigo looked up at Renji and noticed he was giving a look that said 'Are you alright?' Ichigo nodded slightly.
"Renji, you will go with Rukia and suss out the eastern part of this town" Toshiro said. "Look out for anything. Even the slightest bit of Spiritual Pressure should be recorded." Renji and Rukia both nodded in agreement. Ichigo noticed Renji sending a worried glance towards Shuhei once again which was met with a look of anger back at Renji. Shuhei looked away and made eye contact with Ichigo again causing Ichigo to look away quickly. 'He really does creep me out' Ichigo thought.
"Ikkaku and Yumichika you will go and see if that boy that you stayed with last time has any information" Toshiro continued.
"You mean Ichigo's friend, Keigo Asano? Sure thing Captain" Ikkaku said with a nod. The mention of Keigo's name made Ichigo feel as though his heart had been shattered. The feeling of nausea overwhelmed Ichigo which led to him having to sit down. He was trying his best not hyperventilate and vomit. Rukia saw this and quickly made her way to Toshiro's side.
"Sir, Keigo Asano died in the Winter War" Rukia whispered harshly into Toshiro's ear. Toshiro's eyes widen in realisation.
"Oh, um… I apologise Kurosaki" Toshiro said solemnly. "I did not know."
"It's fine" Ichigo said hoarsely with a wave of his hand. Rukia sat down next to Ichigo and put her hand on his shoulder.
"You don't have to go on this mission" Rukia said with a sad smile. "You can just stay here and rest up if you want."
"Nah its fine" Ichigo said with a deep breath. "The sooner this is over the better... Thanks Rukia." Ichigo nodded for Toshiro to continue. The feelings of nausea were slowly starting to pass so Ichigo decided to stand once again. As he got up though, he once again made eye contact with Shuhei. This time though, Shuhei was the one to look away.
"Ikkaku and Yumichika, you two will be going to the southern end of this town to gather information" Toshiro continued.
"Let's make this quick" Ikkaku said sternly to Yumichika.
"Of course" Yumichika said with a roll of his eyes. "I am guessing no shopping then?"
"And finally" Toshiro said, ignoring Yumichika. "Ichigo you will take Shuhei to the place where you and the Espada fought to gather any evidence he may have left behind."
Ichigo just stood there and stared at Toshiro, his mind going blank. Ichigo looked around the room with a blank expression on his face and caught sight of Shuhei. Shuhei moved his gaze to ground while Ichigo stared at him and then looked back at Toshiro for moment. "What?" Ichigo asked in confusion.
"You will take Shuhei to where you fought Grimmjow and collect evidence" Toshiro replied in annoyance.
'Of course it was going to be him' Ichigo thought to himself.
…
Shuhei and Ichigo walked in silence towards the area where Ichigo had fought against the Espada. Shuhei was hoping for a comfortable silence, instead it seemed to be an awkward one. Ichigo walked in front of Shuhei and occasionally glance back at him. It seemed to Shuhei that Ichigo wanted to say something and it was starting to bug him. Even though Shuhei wanted nothing more than silence and to complete this mission as fast as possible, he wished Ichigo would just say what he wanted to say and then continue on in silence.
Something about Ichigo seem to puzzle Shuhei but he couldn't put his finger on it and that bugged the hell out of him. The longer they walked the more awkward it got and Shuhei couldn't think of a single thing to say to him. He thought about asking the kid why he kept looking at him but that would make things more awkward.
Shuhei had a strong feeling that Ichigo didn't like him and for some reason that annoyed him even more. Shuhei quickened his pace and found himself walking beside Ichigo, trying to figure out something to say. Ichigo looked at him with confusion and then turned his gaze straight ahead of him. 'Say something god dammit!' Shuhei thought to himself.
"What's the deal Keigo Asano?" Shuhei asked, immediately regretting it. Shuhei looked over at Ichigo to see hurt in his eyes which made Shuhei feel terrible. 'Why did I have to bring that up!?' Shuhei thought furiously.
"No one" Ichigo said coldly. He quicken his pace so he was once again in front of Shuhei. 'Well if he didn't hate me then he sure hates me now' Shuhei thought to himself.
"I apologise if I offended you" Shuhei said as he walked up beside Ichigo again. "I was just curious. You guys mentioned that Keigo kid before and you looked upset. Did you guys stop being friends or something?" Ichigo looked at him with immense anger. 'What did I do wrong this time?' Shuhei thought.
"How about instead of being curious about my personal life, you can just keep on looking miserable and not talk to me" Ichigo replied angrily while speeding up so he was in front again.
"Miserable? You are the one that is being miserable about someone you stopped being friends with!" Shuhei growled in frustration while catching up to Ichigo. Ichigo stopped walking and stared at Shuhei with most hatred he has ever seen.
"Keigo was killed and I wasn't there to save him in time. So yeah, you could say we stopped being friends" Ichigo said with venom. Shuhei looked at him in shock. 'Oh I fucked up big time' Shuhei thought to himself. Shuhei's stomach dropped at Ichigo's words. "Is there any other dead friends of mine you want to bring up?" Shuhei had absolutely no words. This time Ichigo flash stepped away and Shuhei just stood there feeling like the biggest asshole in the world. 'I should have kept my mouth shut' Shuhei thought to himself.
Shuhei looked in the direction that Ichigo went and followed the traces of his spiritual pressure. Shuhei knew that Ichigo was going to hate him now. 'The sooner I get back to the Soul Society the better' he thought as he flash stepped towards Ichigo. Shuhei was now feeling guilty and it seemed to him that apologising was not going to do anything in this situation. Well it was worth a shot anyway.
Shuhei finally caught up to Ichigo at the location they were supposed to search. Ichigo was standing there in silence, staring at one building in particular. Shuhei walked over to Ichigo, trying to figure out the best way to apologise.
"Look Ichigo, I am really sorry about what I sai-"
"Shut up" Ichigo said quietly. 'So much for being nice' Shuhei thought.
"Did you just tell me to-" Ichigo cut Shuhei off by placing his hand over his mouth. Shuhei quickly swatted his hand away and stared at him in confusion and frustration. Ichigo pointed to the building that he was starting at. Shuhei looked up at it and couldn't understand what Ichigo was going on about. Then he felt it.
There was a weird spiritual pressure coming from the building. It wasn't a Soul Reaper's and it wasn't quite human either. It was coming from the third floor of the building and Ichigo looked over at Shuhei and signalled towards his Zanpakuto. Both of them unsheathed their swords and prepared to jump up into the building. Ichigo let out a deep breath and both of them jumped to the third floor and flash stepped towards the owner of the spiritual pressure. Both of their Zanpakuto were aimed at the owner who let out a little squeak. Shuhei looked at the owner in confusion. She just looked like a normal girl.
"Would you get your swords out of my face" the girl said irritably while pushing the swords away from her face. "Even now you are still a pain in my ass, Ichigo." Ichigo looked to be in complete surprise and had a little smile on his face which confused the hell out of Shuhei.
"What the hell are you doing here, Riruka?" Ichigo asked with a smile.
'What the hell is going on here?' Shuhei thought, confused. 'This is too much.'
…
"Are you fucking done yet?" Grimmjow growled as he paced back and forth while Szayel Aporro went over the plans he had mapped out. If Grimmjow had it his way, he would have already invaded the Soul Society and killed as many Soul Reapers he could get his hands on.
"Hasn't anyone told you that patience is a virtue?" Szayel Aporro replied, not taking his eyes off the plans in front of him.
Szayel Aporro had reconstructed his laboratory after it was destroyed in his battle against the Soul Reapers. The laboratory was dark and creepy with strange thinks hooked up to all sorts of machines that made weird noises. Grimmjow could not think of a worse place to be than where he was now. The lab was spacious and was away from everything and everyone which is why their meetings always occurred here. That and also that most of Las Noches was destroyed.
"There is nothing virtuous about me so would you hurry the fuck up already?!" Grimmjow growled in annoyance.
"Quiet down, Grimmjow. Do you wish to fail this mission?" a blonde woman with tanned skin asked from the corner of the room.
"Why the fuck would you care, Halibel? Didn't Aizen cut you down when he thought that you were no longer of any use?" Grimmjow asked with a smirk.
"My motives for this mission are none of your concern" Halibel replied coolly.
"Tch, whatever. Just hurry the fuck up Szayel."
"Someone seems to be in a rush to their own death" Nnoitra said a wide toothy grin, hoping to get a rise out of Grimmjow.
"Watch what you say to me or else you might not live long enough to see the Soul Society" Grimmjow growled with cold anger while reaching for his sword.
"Oh I am shaking" Nnoitra replied sarcastically while getting up from where he was sitting. "Threats mean nothing if you can't back them up."
"Enough, the both of you" a man with shoulder length brown hair said lazily. "How long left Granz?"
"I see you are also getting impatient Starrk" Szayel Aporro said with a smirk while still going over everything he mapped out.
"No, it was just question" Starrk said tiredly. "Also I have another question."
"And what might that be?" Szayel asked as he looked up at Starrk with a raised eyebrow, now feeling intrigued.
"How exactly do you know the entire layout of the Soul Society and where everything is located within it?"
"Yeah, that is actually a good question" Nnoitra said, walking over to the table that Szayel was working at.
Szayel let out a little laugh before explaining. "Well it's quite simple really. When I implanted myself into that lieutenant of that dreaded Soul Reaper, Kurotsuchi, I gathered up all the knowledge that was inside of her inferior brain!" Szayel Aporro explained, followed by a fit of maniacal laughter.
"God, you are fucking crazy" Grimmjow muttered, feeling a little creeped out.
"Perhaps" Szayel replied with smirk, causing Grimmjow to back away a little. "Anyway, we are just about done here."
"Good" Starrk said feeling relieved. "Could you give me the location of a certain Soul Reaper I want to find?"
"Of course" Szayel said with a devious glint of excitement in his eyes. "Does someone want revenge for their deceased little companion?"
"Yeah something like that" Starrk replied with slight anger.
"Well that's all well and true but I'll just explain the plan first" Szayel said while rubbing his hands together excitedly.
"And then what?" Grimmjow asked, feeling annoyed.
"Then we invade the Soul Society" Halibel replied as she appeared at the edge of the table.
"Precisely" Szayel said with a crazed look in his eyes. "Now let us begin phase one!"
A/N So that was the second chapter. I hoped you enjoyed it and once again if you have any questions feel free to ask :)